Balkan Yam vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Dioscorea balcanica compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

Balkan Yam is Near Threatened while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Yam	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Dioscoreaceae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Dioscorea	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Dioscorea balcanica	Dermochelys coriacea

Conservation Status

Balkan Yam

NT — Near Threatened

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Balkan Yam	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	2.0 m
Average Weight	—	500.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Neotropic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Balkan Yam

The Balkan Yam (Dioscorea balcanica) is a species in the genus Dioscorea. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.